Forty years after AIDS made world headlines, The Normal Heart returns to remind us of a poignant and heart-breaking era.
PThroughout history, playwrights have long been inspired by social issues of the era. The rise of HIV and AIDS in the Eighties was of no exception, giving rise to acclaimed works such as Angels in America, A Quiet End, The Baltimore Waltz, Jeffrey, and Lonely Planet.
Larry Kramer’s The Normal Heart is somewhat an autobiographical piece, mirroring the author’s advocacy for gay rights, through lead character Ned Weeks. As with other activists of the era, Kramer was instrumental in bringing attention to the AIDS crisis, while co-founding organisations such as the AIDS Coalition to Unleash Power.
Director Dean Bryant with Mitchell Butel and Ainsley Melham. Photo by Matt Loxton
The acclaimed play is set during the first years of the epidemic, with Weeks gathering support from his likeminded friends, in order to expose the truths about AIDS – then known as the ‘gay plague’.
Having also been made into a 2014 movie, starring Mark Ruffalo, Matt Bomer and Jim Parsons, The Normal Heart is considered a modern classic, with three Tonys and two Laurence Olivier Awards to its credit.
“We would not be where we are today, if it weren’t for the brave souls who fought for us during this time.” – Ainsley Melham
As 2022 marks the 40th anniversary of the first case of AIDS, the State Theatre Company South Australia has mounted a new production starring Mitchell Butel (The Mikado) and Ainsley Melham (Kiss of the Spiderwoman), with direction by Helpmann Award winner Dean Bryant.
The role of Weeks is undoubtedly one of importance, as it not only carries the legacy of Kramer, but also the era’s community, who suffered and endured the AIDS crisis and its stigmas. For Butel, who is also Artistic Director to the Company, playing Weeks is one of great significance.
Ainsley Melham. Photo by Matt Loxton
“Larry Kramer’s intelligence and eloquence was next level,” says Butel.
“It’s a challenge to rise to that greatness, but luckily he left the blueprint in his words and dialogue. The emotional rollercoaster that the play takes the audience on is taxing as well. The death of friends, loved ones and the constant battle against ineffective governments and media … they are all big things to deal with,” he says.
“But knowing that we can be educating new minds in the audience about these things, makes it worthwhile. I’ve been preparing for this role ever since I saw the original Australian production in 1989 with the great John O’May as Ned. It was a blistering wake-up about action, visibility, and agitation. It’s also a deeply honest exploration of community, friendship and love.”
“The Normal Heart is the perfect way to be immersed in the history of our community,” – Dean Bryant.
For the actor, who has also won four Helpmann Awards, The Normal Heart has played a part in his own personal journey of self-discovery.
“It was a prompter for me to come out of the closet, and to become more involved with my gay community,” says Butel.
“I knew I wanted to play this role one day, in fact I’ve been a student and fan of Larry Kramer ever since I first saw the play. I think we’re lucky these days to have gay content, especially surrounding this period, as a staple part of mainstream media. In preparing, I watched It’s a Sin and also researched the period through Randy Shilt’s story And The Band Played On. I also found David France’s documentary How to Survive a Plague to be a fantastic eye-opener.
The cast of The Normal Heart. Photo by Matt Loxton
“I also think playing Louis in the 2013 Belvoir Street production of Angels in America also helped me prepare for this role. They are similarly eloquent and complex characters and I feel honoured to bring them to life.”
Known for his lead roles in Aladdin, Xanadu and Cinderella, Ainsley Melham takes on the role of Ned’s AIDS-infected partner Felix, and as Melham points out, his role is also one of great personification, especially toward honouring those from the past.
“With The Normal Heart being a semi-autobiographical play, many of the characters you meet take inspiration from real-world people,” says Melham.
“For me, the greatest challenge is ensuring that my version of Felix pays respect to that person who inspired him. After all, these are real stories catalogued on stage for our entertainment and catharsis.”
“I think this piece is a must see for the next generation,” Says Melham.
“It’s astounding how fast the world responded to Covid, while it took so long for governments and media to respond to AIDS.” – Mitchell Butel
“These events were transformative for the queer community, and we would not be where we are today, if it weren’t for the brave souls who endured and fought for us during this time. While we have ways to control and prevent complications from HIV and AIDS now, I think it’s important for us to reflect on how far we’ve come. And what better way to do that, than in the theatre.”
First premiering Off-Broadway in 1985, The Normal Heart has been staged and interpreted in many countries, and in 1992 Kramer wrote a sequel The Destiny of Me. The new production also stars Michael Griffiths, Matt Hyde, Evan Lever, Anthony Nicola and Emma Jones as Dr Emma Brookner.
Director Dean Bryant has gained much acclaim in both local and international theatre, with productions such as Sweet Charity, Little Shop of Horrors, Kiss of the Spider Woman and Priscilla, Queen of the Desert: The Musical.
“It’s a privilege to direct a play that’s been inside my mind for twenty years,” says Bryant.
“This is a play written in the heat of the moment, in the early days of the AIDS crisis in NYC, that captures the terror and loss of that time. Yet, it speaks to us now as a history play, a romance and, strangely, an often-hilarious look at humans trying to work together to overcome a foe.
“Larry Kramer was a gifted speaker, and the dialogue captures his incredible ability to speak at length with great passion,” says Bryant.
“Every actor has a moment where they spill their emotions onstage in a fiery monologue. That’s rare in plays now, and requires a ton of rehearsal, but it’s so exciting for the actor and audience when the words eventually fly out of them, as if occurring in the moment. The play itself is identical to the one that premiered in 1985, but the context and culture have shifted enormously, much of it because of the pioneering work people like Larry, and his colleagues did at the time – and in the decade after.
“It feels very different to look back at a time when to be gay, was so shameful,” says Bryant.
“This disease was viewed as either unimportant to the vast majority or considered ‘what we deserved’ from a cruel minority. And of course, a play about a community dealing with an unknown plague speaks to all of us, as we’re still grappling on living with Covid.”
There is certainly a poignancy with The Normal Heart, considering its parallels to our current era of pandemics. For Butel, there is also a reflection on the social and political double standards of the time.
“One of my primary reasons for programming this play as Artistic Director, was to explore just how different government and media responses have been to Covid-19, compared to HIV and AIDS,” he says.
“It’s astounding just how fast the world responded to Covid, while it took so long for governments and media, especially in America, to respond to the AIDS crisis. That included so many fields, such as research, education, drug development, and care. The inaction and neglect were monumentally homophobic and reached all levels of power. As Kramer often said, he blamed three men in America for the AIDS crisis, because they had failed to respond appropriately – New York Mayor, Ed Koch, The New York Times Editor, Abe Rosenthal and President Ronald Reagan, who didn’t even mention the word AIDS publicly until 1985.
“I relate to so many parts of the play’s story,” says Butel.
“I was deeply closeted as a child, in a Catholic school environment, so I felt a lot of the shame and self-hatred that gets explored by characters in the play. I experienced immense homophobia at school, on the streets and even in my professional life as an actor too. The need to stand tall against that, the idea that you will not live freely until you can declare who you are to the world, is at the heart of Ned’s mission in the play. I’m not nearly as outspoken as Ned, but I do relate to his credo that change starts with yourself.”
As a young gay actor, Melham also sees the relevance of the story in our modern world, especially given the current social unrest and global crises.
“The story of a community coming together to fight for their rights and their lives, is universal,” he says.
“We see it again and again in our world today. Trans rights, Black Lives Matter, the conflict in Ukraine, the list goes on. And let’s face it, the stigma attached to people living with HIV and AIDS today hasn’t disappeared, and while that is still present, there’s room for this story. I certainly relate to the exploration of morality and death in this piece. I lost a very close friend of mine at twenty-five, to a terminal illness. That is just one person in my life and not a whole community, but the experience has helped me explore what these characters might have gone through. I’m holding that friend very close to my heart as we perform each night.”
Burtel also feels that sharing this production with a younger generation is one of great importance, and perhaps even a pride that many of us feel.
“It is one of the great joys of my life to see young queer people feel less shame about their sexuality,” says Burtel.
“To relish in who they are, to feel like they have ‘normal hearts’, and to be supported in their lives and sexualities. But I think it’s crucial for them to know that those advances are only because of the struggles and passions of queer communities who came before them, who worked tirelessly to combat inaction about HIV and AIDS – including combatting homophobia. I think it’s also important for young straight people to see this play and see what happens when their privilege over a minority group, or their neglect, can have terrible impacts. Even with Monkeypox we see how quickly sexuality could be weaponised to discriminate against gay men, and how carefully we need to watch that.”
Likewise, the play’s director sees the correlation between the gay advocacy and struggle of yesteryear, and the importance of recognition from today’s society.
“The Normal Heart is the perfect way to be immersed in the history of our community,” says Bryant.
“It speaks to the struggles for equality that the LGBTQI+ community are still dealing with. To learn factually about an important time, but more so, what it felt like to be gay, or to have loved gay ones in your life, at that time.
“The culture wars being fought today could never have happened without the battles that were fought by minorities in those decades, and this play brings that to life vividly. The Normal Heart is fast, furious, and surprisingly funny. But what the audience will take away is what I get every time I read the script – it’s just so moving. It takes you into a world full of gorgeous humans up against something beyond their imagining, and makes you care deeply about their fate.
The Normal Heart plays at Dunstan Playhouse, Adelaide Festival Centre, 30 Sep – Oct 15
For more visit: statetheatrecompany.com.au
